The two main feature races at each of Rosehill and Caulfield had little comparable about them pre-race.
At Rosehill we had the Golden Rose, a set weights Group 1 over 1400m for three-year-olds that had a raging favourite, with a lucrative stud career beckoning for the winner.
At Caulfield was the Naturalism, a Group 3 Quality over 2000m for the open age stayers, all with their eyes on a Caulfield Cup berth, and it was an open betting race to boot.
The post-race similarities were that both had completely dominant winners at big odds.
In Sydney, Trapeze Artist wasn’t the despised outsider, but he wasn’t far from it, with only four horses longer than him in the betting.
Of course, such a starting price has never worried the horse, given that his three wins have come at odds of $20, $31 and $41. As much as $91 was available on the official flucs on Saturday too.
Yet, Trapeze Artist has never run a bad race, usually in high grade events, and somehow continues to slip under everyone’s guard. Not any more.
He won his maiden on debut, which is never easy to do. The Black Opal in Canberra is always a handy race, which he won with authority beating the well regarded Trekking.
Trapeze Artist then finished his two-year-old season with good runs in the big Group 1s, sixth in the Golden Slipper and third in the Sires Produce, beaten a length and a half.
First up this campaign, he battled honourably carrying between five and eight kilos more than the rest of the field and was less than three lengths off other Golden Rose opposition Dracarys and Gold Standard after not having an easy time during the race.
In the Stan Fox last start he probably one-batted a bit, arguably the plainest run of his career, but he was still far from disgraced. It was the run that led him to be forgotten on Saturday.
The old adage is that you should always forgive a good horse a poor run, and there is no doubt now that Trapeze Artist is a good horse. It just took us all a while to come around. The way he put the Golden Rose away from the 200m when it looked like anyone’s race won’t be forgotten for a while.
Jameka won the Naturalism by 3.8 lengths in 2016 before romping away with the Caulfield Cup by three lengths a month later.
Harlem took out the Naturalism by 3.25 lengths on Saturday, thumping some genuine staying prospects in doing so, which makes him a serious Cups player this spring. This is especially so given the best of his overseas form was over 2400m before he came under the care of Team Hayes.
We saw the evidence of this over last 200m and 400m of the race, when Harlem was at his strongest while his opposition was tiring. If the race had gone any further, Harlem would only have widened the gap on all his rivals, with the possible exception of Amelie’s Star, who recorded great sectionals from the tail of the field.
The question for David Hayes now is whether Harlem has a bridging run with four weeks to go before the Caulfield Cup, but he has always liked his stayers on the fresh side in the more European style, so the likelihood is that he will go in without another run.
Based on what we saw on Saturday, Harlem will be very hard to beat. But, like Trapeze Artist in the Golden Rose, he might just get forgotten, with more recent winners front of mind for punters.
The beauty of racing is that the game is never as predictable as the odds suggest. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
kv joef
Roar Guru
Yes agree Scuba - Williams Racing or the China Horse Club :-) although you never know how a deal could be done but i reckon there is a profit in him ... one way or another. also your comments about Savanna Amour were spot on. QLD form horses that can adapt to the reverse way seem to represent tremendous value in Vic. also particularly cool to see Chris Meagher open his account ... no soft wins in Benalla maidens ... no ... open your account in a G3 in a full field at Caulfield with the books betting against you ... perfect. as if this family doesn't know what it takes to win races in Melb. at this time of the year.
kv joef
Roar Guru
not detracting from the toughness of Dschingis Secret and his win in France (solid pace) but thought the Foy was a messy race and would have liked to have seen Cloth of Stars and Silverware in clear air testing him. His form is good G2 stuff with a win over the genuine G1 horse Hawkbill (116) in the domestic G1 Berlin. Dschingis Secret may have bitten of more then he can chew going to the Arc although Klug trained G.champ 3yrold Sea The Moon who Our Ivanhowe beat in the Baden but never got his chance at the Arc ... actually i think Klug may have preferred 3yrold stablemate Colomano over Windstoss ... but probably not now. As for Dschingis Secret as a potential Cup horse ... i think i'd take Windstoss who has more potential but i'd like to see the little fella move into a more progressive environment :-) .
Scuba
Guest
Windstoss would be too expensive you would think given that Harlem changed hands for $890,000. Lloyd could always do it I suppose.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Both Harlem and Windstoss look quite serious KV. What do you think of Dschingis Secret, from the same stable?
kv joef
Roar Guru
Nice early bet with Harlem Cam. no trouble selling it back on the exchanges and have him running a sizable running for nothing :-) . they brought him with lesser French black-type form and the horses he competed against are still in that grade ... but that is the beauty of a handicap ... Another very serious German racehorse confirmed his quality last weekend. this year's G.Derby winner, Windstoss, won the Europa G1. weak field but he was v.good. previous start he finished 4th in the Baden to the 2 horses who chased Protectionist home the previous year. he was ridden way too close. i liked his derby performance so i've kept an eye on him and he has a terrific stayers pedigree with a turn of foot. a grandson of Monsun ... be interesting to see if the au-cash goes chasing him ... it should :-) .
Cameron Rose
Expert
I think it was Ben Hayes that said they thought the 2000m might still have been a bit short. As for last prep, some imports improve lengths in their second prep here. I loved his first-up run, and backed him for the Caulfield Cup off the back of it at 100-1, so hoping he can go on with it now!
Cameron Rose
Expert
I knew we could be friends Kanga.
Cameron Rose
Expert
Orange County was that horse for me Razzar. One of the greatest days of my life when he won the Rupert Clarke. Had followed every run for years, would visit him in the stables every race day, etc.
Cameron Rose
Expert
Don't remind me of that Stan Fox tip, KV...... I agree with the strange pace. Looked slow out of the gates, then the speed went in, and then slackened again?
Kangajets
Guest
Some nice tipping on the weekend Cameron. I was with u on Harlem
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Not sure about Harlem. I kept an eye on him from a cups perspective last prep. First up run was good, followed by two abysmal runs. I was disappointed, but maybe it was the wet tracks. First up this time run wasn't great and drifted from $11-$16 on Saturday. The win was a surprise to the stable? Even in hindsight, still couldn't take Trapeze Artist
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Ravi should have won the race
Scuba
Guest
Or if you wanted to back a mare in winning form you could actually back the one who beat Ravi on Saturday, but being from Queensland Savanna Amour is criminally underrated. The people who keep buttering up at double figure odds won't be complaining though.
Razzar
Guest
You could've put It this Golden Rose looks to have a long tail KV. If managed well they look to have very good futures. The early speed seemed blistering, first 600 broke 35 easily on my reading. My map had Menari midfield, racing so forward, means he was used up a little too much early. But Trapeze Artist was so handy as well, so he's lifted to a new level here. Now and then, I'll treat a horse as my own, and Gold Standard can stand in my barn for a few years. Many years ago I had Drought' in my barn....it didn't end very well. ? The Mares in winning form adige often rings true. Going forward Ravi, Daysee Doom and throw in Dixie Blossoms, look to be winning through this Spring.
kv joef
Roar Guru
Absolutely agree about TA and if memory serves me right Cam, you tipped him in the Stan Fox. and like you, he was always on my radar but i didn't see a 7L turn around coming ... expected the blinkers improvement but not a turnaround of over a second. there is something strange about how the speed pressure went into that race - just the way the it came in and out. will go back again today and dissect the splits and vision for a few lessons maybe. I was happy enough with Gold Standard although he didn't travel as well as he did in the Stan Fox but still fought like a tiger = good horse. have become the biggest fans of Bjorn Baker's dynamic duo - Addictive Nature and Champagne Cuddles are top quality. CCuddles is a little 100%er ... just sticks her head out and goes hard. she has coped everything thrown at her if think both of BB's tiny tots have an excellent with a future.